


Skin Deep

by a_quick_drink



Series: Fast Fairytales & Fables [3]
Category: Fast and the Furious Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fairy Tale Elements, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Red Riding Hood Elements, Werewolves, Wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 01:38:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5111600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_quick_drink/pseuds/a_quick_drink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who knew the big bad wolf was really a prince in disguise?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Skin Deep

"Awfully late to be goin' to granny's house, isn't it, Red?"

Shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, Leon mentally swore at himself. Of course today was the day he wore the red hoodie. But laundry needed done and he hadn't cared what he wore so long as it was clean and warm. He'd grabbed it on his way out the door without a second thought. 

He ignored the asshole comment and picked up his pace. Just keep walking, he told himself, that'd get rid of whoever it was.

"What are ya doin' out here alone anyway?" the man asked. "Didn't ya hear about the wolf that's been attackin' people?"

Oh, he'd heard. Kind of hard not to when there were reports of yet another death or wolf sighting every few weeks. It was big news in their little coastal town, and the shock of the first murder late in the spring had since morphed into panic. People didn't get killed here--they died of old age and boredom. 

"You even listenin' to me, Red?"

Leon spun around to glare at the man and tell him off but no one was there.

What the...?

A flash of something dark in the corner of his eye drew his attention. Blood pounded in his ears. He could see the headline now: _Wolf strikes again! Mutilates thirty-something nobody who should've known better!_

When he turned, though, he still couldn't find the source of the voice. He pushed his hood down, wincing at the sting of cold rain against his face. October weather here was like having the flu--hot one minute and cold the next, and impossible to dress for. His hoodie was fine for the drizzle they'd had an hour ago, but now the fabric was sucking rainwater like a sponge, the chill going straight to his bones. His teeth chattered as leaves shivered in the trees, mimicking him. He needed to get home. Now. 

He pulled up his hood and ran.

Something big slammed into his side before he got far and sent him crashing onto the wet pavement. Pain burst through his shoulder, white hot and sharp, throbbing in time with his racing heart. He cried out, but the sound cut off when something solid collided with the side of his head. He rolled onto his stomach, off his injured shoulder, staring at the puddle he laid his head in. Dark flashes reflected in the murky water. Savage barks and growls filled the air, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. Raindrops mixed with tears slid down his face.

He hoped the wolf made it quick.

* * *

If not for the full body aches and pains Leon would've sworn he was in heaven. He was warm and dry, nestled in a cocoon of flannel sheets and heavy blankets that smelled like fabric detergent and musk that created a cozy nest around him. He poked his head out from the blankets, stomach rumbling at the scent of coffee and bacon. Wherever this was he hoped he wouldn't have to leave anytime soon.

"Morning, Red."

Leon's eyes flew open as he shot up from the bed, head swimming in protest. "Who are you?" he asked, clutching at his head. He blinked at the man standing before him, and his jaw dropped. He knew this guy. Well, sort of. He'd seen him around town quite a few times, the two of them often sharing an appreciative look. The man had never approached him, though, and Leon never got up the nerve to do it himself.

The man offered him a lopsided smile. "Some call me Wolfman, but I prefer Vince." He ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "Sorry 'bout your clothes, by the way. You needed to get dry and I didn't know how else to do that."

Confused, Leon looked down at himself and realized he was shirtless. He lifted the blankets to peek at the lower half to find only the boxers he'd been wearing yesterday. His cheeks burned. "It's, uh, it's okay." While not as well built as Vince, he didn't mind showing off what he had, especially to the man he'd eyed for months. He hoped Vince liked what he'd seen. And wasn't that a dumb thought? Fear should be at the forefront of his mind, but he found it hard to believe this man was the killer wolf the news made him out to be. 

"Why didn't you kill me?" Leon asked.

Vince cocked his head to the side. "I haven't killed anyone. Why would I wanna do that?"

"Aren't you the wolf all over the news?"

"I'm _a_ wolf but not that one. That thing," he said, voice laced with disgust, "is more of a monster in the vague shape of a wolf. That's what attacked you last night."

Leon's confusion must've been more obvious than he thought because Vince held up a finger at him to wait. Turning, Vince went to the closet, pulling out a brown wolf pelt that matched the color of his hair. He draped the pelt over a thick arm and smoothed the fur with gentle strokes, as though it were a living animal. "There's three types of wolves in this world," he explained. "Actual wolves, werewolves, and the spirits of wolves that've died. The one doin' all that killing is a werewolf. From a distance at night they kinda do look like real wolves but up close you'll see the difference."

Leon's eyes darted between Vince's face and the pelt hanging from his arm. "Which kind are you?"

Smirking, Vince knelt on the floor and draped the pelt over his broad shoulders like a cape. He hunched over onto all fours, setting the wolf's head on his own, and dug his fingers into the rug. Leon blinked and Vince was gone. In his place was a brown wolf with whisky-colored eyes and tongue lolling out of its mouth in a dopey dog smile. It looked nothing like the images of the 'wolf' he'd seen.

After a good scratch behind its ear, the wolf--Vince?--leapt onto the end of the bed.

Leon's eyes lit up. "So you're a wolf spirit?"

"Yup." Vince laid down and crawled on his belly to Leon. He rested his furry head on Leon's thigh and stared up at him with big soulful eyes. "I carry the spirit of the wolf that was killed for the pelt I showed you."

Leon reached out to him, hand hovering over his head before he finally dared to pet the animal. "How does that work?" He'd heard of werewolves--not that they were supposed to be real--but never wolf spirits.

"Dunno." Vince pushed his wet nose into Leon's hand and gave it a lick. "Saw the pelt and couldn't figure out why I was so drawn to it. Felt like something in me...woke up when I touched it. I become that wolf when I wear its skin, like it's using me to continue the life it should've had." 

Vince hopped down then, nails clicking across the hardwood floors as he disappeared around the corner. A few minutes later he returned in his human form.

"So you saved me last night?" Leon asked. His pulse sped up as Vince sat on the edge of the bed, within reach.

"I did. That werewolf had been stalking ya most of the way, so I tried to lure it away. Kinda failed, though."

"What? No. I know I would've died if you hadn't been there, so thank you." The wooziness Leon had been fighting finally became too much and he settled back into the mound of pillows. "What were you doing out last night anyway?"

Pink colored Vince's cheeks and he averted his gaze. "I was, uh, out for a run to calm myself down before I came to see you at the bar. Caught a whiff of you and that werewolf and went to check it out."

"You were kind of an asshole, ya know," Leon teased.

"Sorry." Vince's cheeks were bright red now, and Leon bit his lip against a smile. 

"So what'd you wanna see me for?"

Lifting his head, Vince licked his lips and met Leon's eyes. "Wanted to ask ya out, but I don't imagine you'd be interested in some wolf man." He looked away again, and Leon reached over to brush their hands together.

"Then you imagined wrong." He curled a pinky around Vince's, almost bursting into laughter at the look of shock Vince gave him. Despite the gruff exterior and wolf spirit the man sure seemed like a puppy at heart. "Name's Leon by the way."

"Okay, Leon, how 'bout we try this again?" Vince's lips curved into a smile. "You wanna have breakfast with me?"

"I'd love to."


End file.
